We wanted to achieve something our competitors don’t appear to attempt, traditional designed bespoke rugs that you can resize and colour online. However, producing a hand tufted bespoke traditional rug can have its difficulties, as most traditional rug designs are a mish-mash of really complex woven motifs. These are difficult to replicate using high-speed hand-tufting guns. Hand weaving the rugs with the complexity of design and the extended time to weave, just make the job too expensive.

Nothing is insurmountable for those who try, we took a look back through history at some ancient and nomadic designs to try and emulate our ancestors. We tend to think of stripes and tartans as modern, yet the Kelts were wearing tartan some three thousand years ago and Joseph in the Old Testament, sported his coat of many colours, which we assume was striped. So, while these design styles are without any doubt traditional, we don’t see them as so, we really wanted designs with a little more Persian styling.

Traditional rug designs as we recognise them reached their popularity back in Persia (Iran) under the Safavid Dynasty (1502-1736) which is relatively recent. However, rug production in various forms has been around since the 5th century BC. Nomadic tribes appear to have been the main weavers of these rugs as they served a practical purpose of protection from the cold ground. Weaving also meant they didn’t use the hides of the precious livestock.

The Silk Road was a passageway for many nomadic tribes and also the main artery to the east and China to obtain the silk to weave fine clothing and furnishings. Silk was particularly fashionable with the uber-rich in furnishings like rugs because it is very fine and has a natural sheen. This meant any rug produced in silk would have millions of knots making the detail of the design ultra-high definition.

The high cost of silk meant most rugs were produced using wool that was sourced locally. Because wool was bulkier than silk, it took fewer knots to cover the surface, producing the rug faster also reduced costs. Today with all our technology we have exactly the same problems, it goes without saying, you still have to be worth a bob or two to afford a genuine silk hand-knotted rug.

While rug production dates back as far as the 5th century BC and flourished in Persia, Turkey and Eastern Asia. In Europe, it seems that rug production was only prevalent in Moorish occupied regions of Spain. It was only in the 13th century when Marco Polo claimed that carpet production was thriving in Central Asia, Turkey and Persia that Europe jumped on the band waggon.

So, rug weaving really came to Europe with a bang some 400 years ago when the Savonnerie factory in Paris, France, started making their own style of design. Based on traditional Persian classics combined with French florals and bold cornice designs that reflected the ornate ceilings of the French chateaus. At iwantarug.com we want to emulate the creativity of the French renaissance designers, but in a very different way.

Our bespoke traditional designs are probably more what the Americans call ‘Transitional’, that’s a traditional design with a modern twist. Fortunately, traditional rugs have countless manifestations, our influences mainly originate from nomadic tribes. It seemed fairly obvious that because nomadic rugs were more functional and weavers have fewer resources at hand, their rug patterns would be simpler and more clunky in design. To some degree this is true, the stars on a nomadic rug are easier to replicate in hand tufting than the complex centre motif, trailing foliage and ornate corners of a Nain (city) rug. But what really makes a nomadic rug stand out is the warm distinctive colours which give it the ability to sit comfortably with either traditional or modern decor.

We also needed some variation, something with a traditional elegance that could be easily replicated on a hand-tufted rug. The inspiration came while watching the Netflix television series, ‘Marco Polo’, and in particular, the rugs that covered the floors, walls and doors of the Mongolian yurts.

After some research, we discovered that these rugs were a non-woven felt rug made by wetting and compressing wool. The nature of the production meant the medallion designs were bold with a simplistic sophistication.

We’ve also added some Navajo style and Turkish Kilim type designs along with typical Chinese patterns and there’s a collection of borders and motifs to allow you to design your own. We believe our designs have the ambience of a classic rug and would sit comfortably in most traditional surroundings.

Visit our website iwantarug.com to see just what you can create with our online design software.

From practical experience, we know that designing and producing a rug from scratch isn’t easy, there are just so many variables of colour, design, size, shape and texture. So, developing a website where customers can design, size and colour their own bespoke rugs was a challenge to say the least. We believe we’ve achieved this by putting ourselves in the customer's shoes and throwing away the rulebook, we’ve literally taken online rug design back to the drawing board. Prepare to be amazed at our new rug website iwantarug.com, the site offers rugs that can be designed and coloured with ease.

Why is iwantarug.com different to competitors websites?

Most bespoke rug suppliers target their wares to architects and interior designers, let's face it, the average customer is either unaware that this service exists, or believes the prices will be exorbitant. We want to give the ordinary person who is looking for unusual sizes, off the wall colours, odd shapes or something really unique, a chance to create something that stands out from the crowd.

We asked ourselves the question, what do customers really want? Simplicity, choice and innovation at realistic prices? Yes, they want that, but they also want to feel in control of the finished rug too. The mindset, the colour set, that feeling from concept to completion. Because this is a unique piece of handmade carpet we believe it’s so important that our clients feel it’s their creation.

We know that finding the right combination of colour and design can be allies, the eye is naturally drawn to attractive and familiar shapes and hues. Finding something visually appealing that you can work with is often better than starting from scratch. For that reason, many of our designs have pre-set pattern and colour banks just waiting for you to add the accent colouration. As with any bespoke product we are happy to tweak these pre-set colours to suit your requirements.

The main difference with iwantarug.com is the client can use the online software to re-colour and resize elements of the rug. The designs can be saved, downloaded and printed. The design app will also give a complete price of the rug delivered to the customer's door.

Our design software is mobile friendly, which means you can colour, style and price on your mobile phone or iPad. The mobile-friendly app also gives busy architects and interior designers the power of suggesting designs and colours to their clients while on site.

What do we offer?

Our main product is a 100% wool hand-tufted rug, available in any size from 60cm x 120cm up to 400cm x 600cm, available in 96 colour options. There is a huge choice of designs which you can colour and innovate to suit any room. Because we are dealing directly with the manufacturers in India, there is no middleman, which makes our bespoke prices and quality comparable to typical high street stores. The quality, finish and square metre price of our custom made rugs are often equivalent to, or better than off the shelf rugs offered by household names such as John Lewis and Debenhams.

By styling many of our colours to blend with popular paint brands such as Farrow & Ball, Fired Earth, The Paint Library, Sanderson, Morris & Co and The Little Greene Paint Company. We are confident that we can match up with the latest innovations in colour and design.

It doesn’t stop there. We also understand that essentially you want to see the colours and touch the quality of your new rug before production. Let’s face it, even with the best online custom design software in the world, it is unlikely that computer-generated colour and texture will simulate the actual rug. To that end, we’ve had colour samples produced in the exact quality of the rugs the client receive. Meaning clients can see the texture and colour, match up with colour charts while getting a true feel of the density of the pile of the rug. What we call taking out the guesswork.

Once the client has sized and produced a colour design online, it can be added to the Iwantarug.com shopping cart. The customer will be asked to pay a nominal fee to order the colour and feeler samples. We’ll post the samples and the design for approval before taking pay and ordering the finished rug.

Once the colours and design are confirmed, we send the patterns to India to be reproduced on the CAD (computer-aided design) software. This produces the production pattern template from which the rug is tufted from. The customer is sent emailed this pattern for final approval.
Don’t be scared to tweak?

Tweaks to colour and design are an anticipated part of producing a custom-made rug, we encourage customers to talk to us to ensure we produce the perfect rug. We are happy to create images of the final design.

It’s possible the customer has a design idea of their own, that’s not a problem. Simply send us the design idea and we’ll do our very best to reproduce it. Or maybe the client has a business and is looking to create a rug with the company logo, again we thrive on every challenge. Just send us the logo and an idea of the size and shape of the rug you require.

All shapes and sizes

As a bespoke product, we a not simply limited to simple oblongs and circles. We can produce in virtually any shape and size.
Contract and architectural

In today's business environment there are so many, weird and wonderful design concepts. Open areas used for seating and waiting particularly take up some unusual shapes. Finding a rug in a shape and size to make those areas feel more welcoming can be a daunting task. At iwantarug.com we relish finding solutions. We like to think out of the box, talk to us, send us your plans, we may just be your answer.

To summarise: At iwantarug.com we offer a colour bank of 96 colourways, we produce competitively priced bespoke rugs that are hand-tufted using 100% wool. The design, size and colouration of the rug are calibrated to suit you. We aim to deliver within 6 weeks of receiving a confirmed order.

The American meteorologist Edward N. Lorenz came up with the concept of “The Butterfly Effect” to highlight the possibility that the smallest of actions may have significant effects. In the introduction to the Movie “The Butterfly Effect” the theory is summed up with the following quote:
“It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world” - Chaos Theory

So, what has this to do with the long delivery delays on many rugs?

China is a major producer of modern handmade rugs, these are usually hand-tufted from materials such as acrylic or polyester. China is also the worlds largest producer of CO2 emissions, they create around 25% of the worlds CO2, burning nearly as much coal as the rest of the world put together. Because of this, China is currently battling with massive environmental issues, smog being one of the main culprits. To deal with this problem the Chinese government have had to step in with some drastic measures to reduce the relentless pollution in and around the major cities.

It’s fair to assume that China’s massive growth as an economy is largely down to turning a blind eye to the ecological issues. The main pollution is from heavy industries that burn fossil fuel; such as, steel, manufacturing and power.

With a serious health risk to the population and further problems with crop growth because smog is literally blocking the sunlight. It has reached a point when common sense must prevail. The Chinese government has acted to close some industries and severely restrict emissions to avoid events of apocalyptic proportions.

This action will cause a butterfly effect on much of China’s productivity and the ripples of these actions are now being felt around the world. In the case of rugs, many manufacturers are converting to gas for their backing plants while also struggling to get yarn supplies. The installation of gas powered backing plants combined with importing yarns from other countries will significantly increase the cost of the finished rug, making them uncompetitive.

The combination of poor supply and increased prices forces buyers and importers in Europe, America and the rest of the world to source the products elsewhere. Because things are never that straight-forward, this will initially increase demand, putting a strain on rug production in these areas of the world.

The logical place to source new rug producers is India, but there are differences between the yarns the Indians and Chinese work with, so its highly unlikely importers will achieve a like for like appearance of their existing products. New products are the likely result… and many importers across the world are currently scorching these new products.

At the same time, manufacturers of machine-made rugs in Turkey and the Middle East will be looking to increase their slice of the global trade. But there are limitations on colours and textures with machine-made rugs.

Importers will be forced to panic buy from the new supply chains and are likely to make errors in judgement. To counteract these potential errors they’ll probably order in smaller quantities initially, which will cause more delays when successful products sell out. The typical lead time, from order to delivery from India is three months, while an order from Turkey is six to eight weeks. Assuming there are no backlogs.

The environmental problems in China are likely to take decades to resolve. It’s going to take some time for importers to strike a balance between their suppliers in China and their suppliers in the rest of the world.

In the meantime, we are going to have to put up with delays on rugs and thousands of other products that are usually sourced from China.

Are you having trouble selecting the best living room rug for your home? Perhaps two have caught your eye and you can't decide which way to go.

Well, when done right, you can have both! Don't be afraid to layer your living room rugs for a warm and decadent look.

Let's explore the many ways you can mix and match your living room decor, introducing an array of colourful and patterned possibilities.

1. Choose a Natural Base

Starting with a natural colour for your base layer leaves you plenty of wiggle room for the top layer. A nice jute rug is just the ticket for the foundation of your layering adventures.

Then, base your top layer on the furniture in your room. If your furniture is neutral, use this as an opportunity to pop in some colourful and bold patterns.

If your furniture is already bright and colourful, then select a top layer that's one solid colour or minimally patterned.

The key here is to make sure you select living room rugs with similar details, colours or materials.

At the very least, keep your eye on one colour. Make sure one common colour weaves through each of your chosen layers.

2. Position Your Living Room Rugs Properly

Now that you have some lovely selections in hand, let's discuss their placement. Think of things from the perspective of the living room's perimeter and your furniture's feet.

That is, make sure the edges of the base layer of your living room rug are at least 12-14 inches from the room's perimeter.

The same goes for your top layer rug. Make sure the edges of that top layer are about 12 inches from the edges of its base layer.

Most interior decorators will tell you they cringe at the sight of living room rugs centred under a coffee table and nothing else.

They usually want to see an area rug laying underneath at least a portion of the surrounding living room furniture.

More specifically, make sure the front legs of your furniture are on top of your living room rugs. Better yet, choose a rug that will allow the back legs to sit upon it, too.

This style tip is nice because it also provides a soft landing for everybody's feet.

3. Have Fun with Hide

Faux hide, that is! Zebra print will immediately bring a bold and exotic twist to your living room decor.

Hide living room rugs do a couple of things. First, they put you at the top of the interior design trend list.

You already entered that top tier when you decided to layer your living room rugs. But, now, spicing it up with a hide rug illustrates a keen sense of design.

Second, their irregular shape and size make them the perfect top layer for your neutral base.

Rectangle on top of rectangle is a common layering practice. However, hide prints tend to come in unusual shapes and sizes, making them dance atop your neutral base colour with character and flair.

Shaggy rugs are the kings of layering, too. Their fluffy demeanour is all but made to sit atop layers of living room rugs.

Best of all, its plain white personality makes room for a canny switch.

With a white, fluffy shag, you can steer clear of a neutral undertone and set it atop a bit more colour or texture.

4. Go Bohemian

Okay, are you ready to get funky?

In this setting, think patchwork. A couple of Persian of Moroccan flat-weave rugs can create a bohemian oasis for the eyes (and feet).

All you have to do is make sure their edges are overlapping. And you can vary the amount of each edge that's covered by its neighbouring puzzle piece.

That said, this is the style you want to be very careful about. Since we're living on the edge and mixing bold patterns here, make sure you stick to a limited colour palette such as raspberry or blue.

It can't be stated enough. If you're ready to commit to the Persian or Moroccan theme, make sure one common colour weaves through each colourful piece. This will ensure cohesion throughout the integration of your bold patterns.

Rug pads are kind of "yesterday" but, in this instance, you'll want to use rug pads to lock these puzzle pieces together (and make sure nobody goes sliding across your puzzle board).

5. Triple Your Fun!

At this point, we've spent a lot of time layering two living room rugs. And that's generally a good starting point for your adventures in layering.

However, you can also go for three. If you're standing at the entrance to your living room, plan your triple layering action from neutral, to bold, to colourful.

That is, place your neutral layer first, cover its upper corner with something bolder, and finish the third layer with something colourful or patterned.

That last colourful or patterned piece should fit under the front feet of your loveseat or reading chair. Even better, see if it can stretch all the way to the back feet of whatever sofa or chair it's nestling underneath.

All this planning will keep your living room open and airy, and prevent the danger of overstuffing your space.

Final Thoughts

Do what makes you happy!

It's you who'll walk on these living room rugs every day. Choose colour selections and patterns that will make you smile when you walk into your living room.

In the end, layering actually saves you money. Wall-to-wall carpeting comes at a price. Layering a few low-cost pieces together covers your floors efficiently and colourfully.

Best of all, should you ever grow weary of your carpeting, layering allows you to make changes over time.

If you ever outgrow the zebra vibe, you can slip a nice Persian into its place.

Here at RugZone, we've got all your layering needs covered. From neutral to colourful, we'll help you layer your living room stylishly and comfortably.

Yes, it can! But Googling “rugs UK” gives you countless options. Where do you start?

Are you looking to add warmth to a room (figuratively or literally?) Are you trying to breathe new life into some dull furniture?

Whatever you need, we have a rug for that. Here are some tips on how to find the perfect one.

Rugs UK Tip #1: Don’t Leave it Until Last

This is probably the biggest mistake people make when planning any room’s decor. They feel that the rug is an afterthought.

If that’s how you choose to do things, you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself to find the right rug to go with your wall colour, furniture, and accents. It’s not impossible, of course. But it’s not ideal.

You would be better off literally starting from the floor and working your way up. Think of how much space the rug has to cover. Do you really want to leave that big of a detail until the very end?

She also says that narrow rugs can be combined and connected. Especially if you're unafraid to play with bolder prints and combinations, you could have lots of fun here.

This may seem obvious to you, but never start rug shopping without measuring the space you're decorating. You would be amazed how many people do this. The words "It looks about right" have caused way too much heartache.

So measure twice and buy once.

#3: Embrace Layering

Not enough people choose to layer their rugs. Many feel it's an intimidating design choice.

However, anyone can do it. We love layering for three reasons:

1. It instantly gives the room a more interesting look

2. It allows you to do more customization and matching, by combining colours and patterns

3. It can give you more length for less money.

Most people buy a smaller (often, too small) rug for cost reasons. If you take that smaller rug and layer it on top of an inexpensive solid colour, you’ve now got enough coverage and an amazing look.

So always have potential layering combinations in your mind when shopping for a new rug.

Rugs UK Tip #4: Don't Forget About First Impressions

Why not blow your guests away with a stylish pop in the face as soon as they enter your home? The entrance to your home is the first thing people see when they walk in, and an area that gets the most traffic. So why not make it the most stylish.

You will want to keep the rest of the room simple. Nicola Sanders of houzz.co.uk recommends that you try "textural grass cloth wallpaper in a beautiful smoky blue is the perfect backdrop to the vibrant rug."

Finding the right rug at your entrance can do wonders to really set the tone for the rest of your home.

Rugs UK Tip #5: Is Now a Good Time to Shag?

Shag carpets were massive in the 1960s. But is using it now tapping into some retro cool-factor? Or is it trying too hard? Is the look more "Mad Men" or "Just mad?"

As always, it's all about how you use the item to decorate.

If your room is full of neutral tones you can add a brightly coloured shaggy rug to pull off a really contemporary look. But if you’re shooting for a classic and elegant look, choose white and cream-coloured shag rugs.

There are also lots of practical reasons. They can add instant warmth to cold tiled and stone flooring. At the same time, they help protect wood and laminate flooring.

Rugs UK Tip #6: Know When to Run

Runners are also very underutilized in today's homes. We love them, of course. But here's why you should, too.

Carpet runners protect your lovely wooden floors, while adding just the right amount of style. Use them to liven up your hallways or on stairs. Or if your kitchen is too boring, add a runner to give it some spice.

A light coloured carpet runner (white or cream) pops over a dark wooden floor. But avoid this in a high traffic area or if you’ve got pets. Because pretty soon the dirty spots on the runner will be what pops. So be careful with this combo.

At the same time, brightly-coloured carpet runners can draw the eye instantly and add contrast against a dark wood floor. They will work well you can match them to the rest of the room.

Tip #7: Does Your Bedroom Decor Put You to Sleep?

A large bedroom is a great spot to use your smaller rugs or runners.

Or, you can put one big one under your comfy bed to make it that much more inviting. This will also give you a layer of protection to keep the bed from damaging the floor.

Again, best to start with the rug here, instead of buying a whole bunch of pillows, throws and a duvet and then trying to match them. If you start from the ground up, things will be much easier.

Once again, fit is crucial. Add about 15 inches on either side of the bed, and the foot of the bed, to ensure the rug is showing properly.

Tip #8: Think Outside the Box (or square)

If your room is boring you, and you can't quite put your finger on why, there's a good chance there are too many rectangles and squares.

For example, let's take the den.

Square side tables, rectangular coffee table, and rectangular flatscreen TV. Add a round or oval rug into the mix and your room now has a new level of personality.

Rugs are loved for their soft and lasting style. So, if you want to add a sophisticated splash of pattern and colour to your space, you should consider buying for trendy rugs.

Whether you need to complete a modern or rustic decor theme, there are rug designs to help do that. Plus, they complement most floors when used as area rugs or stair runners.

A proper rug is the only way to anchor your room and connect all the elements, such as sofa, table, and artwork. It helps to define your room and adds a touch a comfort where you want it most. You have the choice of picking a design that matches the interior aesthetic of your space.

Well, this post is going to cover some of the designs that are trending. Let's get right into it.

1. Flatweave for Living Room

If you love rugs with textural depth and rich visual, then ribbed carpets are certainly great options. These rugs feature little ribs throughout, and they have been common in offices.

But now, homeowners are turning to them to give their living rooms a new feel and touch. You can opt for a hand woven rug that has a ribbed design with alternating blocks and bars, which lend a beautiful pattern.

With ribbed options, you don't need to worry about kids or pets removing the fabric. They are completely safe, and some are reversible to help you give your space a new look.

2. Geometric Pattern

Gone are the days when hexagonal motifs and chevron stripes were the common patterns for rugs. In their place, geometric patterns seem to have a way with homeowners. They're giving living rooms a whole new taste of style.

If you have lots of accessories in your room, geometric rugs make the best options. Typically, they feature different shapes, such as triangles, squares, ovals or circles. These shapes can be combined creatively to give a solid colour rug a unique look.

Or, the various shapes on the rug can have different contrasting colours to splash your room with varied hues. Plus, they come in various materials, so your options are simply limitless.

3. Soft Carpet for Bedrooms

For a very long time, soft and comfy rugs have been the favourite options for bedrooms. These rug designs are still holding strong, and there seems to be no viable alternative for them.

If you have a hard floor, then you can accent it with a warm and soft carpet. You don't want to experience the cold feeling of the bare floor every morning when you wake up. Soft rugs have cushioned feel that lends a soothing effect to any bedroom floor.

Those made from wool are the go-to options since they offer a luxurious feel. Go for a cut rug pile when looking for the right choice. Nylon rugs are the most popular and also have a soft feel.

4. Bold Carpet Colours

When looking for the rug designs, colour is also an important consideration. The current trends already reveal that. People seem to be adventurous and creative with the use of bold colours, such as red, blue, purple, and orange.

Multicoloured options are the common carpets that are now making a statement in many living rooms. Bold options make the carpet stand out; they are no longer those silent items that tend to easily forgotten.

Vibrant options also work well with bedrooms if you want to add some peace and tranquillity. Colour and pattern can b used together to create a room that is energetic and inviting.

5. Cut and Loop Rugs

A cut and loop rug is simply a carpet that features both cuts and loops. This combination allows for a wide range of patterns that will give your decor striking aesthetic.

A Victorian rug with patterned cut & loop design is all you need to enhance the appearance of your room. These rugs boast intricate floral designs with stunning borders. If you have a Victorian home, you can expect to enjoy their unique flair.

Morrocan options also come with elegant patterns and multiple colours that complement a range of design schemes. People are using rich rug colour to brighten up neutral window treatments and furnishings.

A white or cream cut & loop rug can be used to complete a modern decor or soften bold colour schemes.

6. Persian

More and more people still love the traditional look and feel of their homes. They now depend on Persian patterned rugs to help them get that style. Persian are loved for their regal patterns. Plus, they come in varied hues such as pinks, creams, soft blues to bold reds and golds.

These rugs feature a vintage look that adds a warm and inviting element to your room. Most homeowners are using Persian rugs under dining room and coffee tables. They can also be used to add a touch of colour or contrast to your hard floors.

7. Bohemian

Bohemian designs are one of the favourite options when it comes to area rugs. They have artistic patterns and vivid hues that lend a welcome vibrancy to clean interior designs. Plus, you can use them to show off your style, culture and interests.

Also, they come in varied designs such as Ikat, jute, shag, and southwestern rugs. They allow you to add a free-spirited style to your home. They serve as a great landing space for your decor furnishings and large floor cushions.

You'll certainly enjoy this curated vibe that is exotic and beautiful.

8. Morrocan Trellis

People love a sophistical global fair for their rooms, and that exactly what Morrocan trellis rugs are offering. You can find this design in both neutral and bold hues. Due to their playful look, these rugs can be used to complement your kids' room or nursery.

The simplistic nature of Morrocan trellis rugs makes them ideal for any modern living room. The trellis pattern is usually versatile, and it can easily accommodate your decor design options.

Rug Designs - The Takeaway

When choosing a rug, you want to consider the interior design of your room. You should start with the rug designs and then move on to fabrics and colour. Then see how you'll connect your colour scheme, furniture placement, and accessories.

These trendy designs and styles are some options you have if you're looking for a rug. Still, there are numerous options, such as shag, vintage, and transitional, that you can try. It all depends on your styling preferences and interests.

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When buying rugs on the Internet you don't have the ability touch and discuss the various qualities and features of the rug. Our blog is there to give you some of the advice and information that you may need before you complete your purchase. Please take you time to digest the information and if you can't find what you are looking for you can always give us a call on 0191 454 1972 during office hours.